Page 81 of The Fire Walker
“Where are you taking her?” I asked, my eyes desperately trying to catch a glimpse of her as they loaded the gurney into the back of theambulance.
“NY Presbyterian,” the ambo said. He glanced at his partner, and he nodded. “Getin.”
I jumped up into the back before they could change their minds and sat as the doorslammed.
“Sit at the end,” the guy said, positioning himself beside Jessie as I slid down the end toward the reardoor.
The other paramedic cranked the sirens, and I was hardly aware that we were moving at full tilt toward the hospital. I just had eyes forher.
“It doesn’t look like she was hit hard,” the paramedic said beside me. “But the gash on her forehead is pretty deep. That’ll need to be stitched. Her stomach feels taut, which means she has some internalbleeding.”
I didn’t know what the guy was doing telling me all this stuff. Maybe he was trying to put my mind at ease, but it just made me feel sick. “What does thatmean?”
“She’ll be taken into surgery as soon as we get to the hospital. We’ve done our part, but now we’ve just got to get her there.” I vaguely heard him switch on the radio and call it in to the hospital. ETA four minutes. Man, these guys were fast. I was suddenly very fuckinggrateful.
“When we get there, you’ve gotta step back, okay?” he said again, and I nodded. “We’re not meant to transport anyone but the patient,so…”
“Okay.”
When the ambulance screeched to a halt, waiting doctors wrenched the back doors open, and I jumped down onto the concrete, stepping back out of the way. As the gurney was unloaded, the doctors and paramedics talked to each other in clipped tones, rattling off some medical mumbo jumbo. I followed them inside as they wheeled her in, talking about emergency surgery or whatever and prepping for something or rather. I didn’t have time to comprehend what was goingon.
“Sir.” A male doctor stopped me with a hand on my chest. “I’m sorry, but you can’t come anyfurther.”
“But…” He’d stopped me at a pair of doors that looked a lot like the point of noreturn.
“I’ll come and give you an update as soon as I can, but we need to look after your friendnow.”
“She’s mygirlfriend.”
The doctor’s face softened slightly. He probably got this all the time. “I’ll come and let you know as soon as Ican.”
Nodding, I gave him my name and watched as the doors swung closed, separating me fromJessie.
I’d told her I would never leave her, and that I would never let her go. I knew it was their job—the doctors taking her away—and I knew they were trying to save her life, but in a way, I’d broken mypromise.
I just stood there in the middle of the hall off the waiting room, staring at the doors. What was I meant to do? She couldn’t die. She justcouldn’t.
